| Original Message: Re: Fossil Coral - Indonesian Cabs |
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By the way, for anyone who doesn't know, coral is my most favorite bead material, and is a topic I have studied very carefully for a long period. My coral bead lecture is a must-see presentation. Added to that, I have always liked fossils, and have collected them over the years, but not exhaustively. I won't show my collection here, but only some specimens that make my points. In 2002, from Indonesia, a new line of fossil coral cabochons and jewelry made from them began to circulate. I thought (and think) this stuff is really beautiful. In 2003, at the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, I purchased the cab we see here—it being very typical of this Indonesian material. The natural color is buff or tan, with very visible polyp scars (the calcium cup in which the coral animal sits and from which it grows). Very similar fossil coral material is found in several locations, including Madagascar, China, and the US. The coral has become agatized—meaning the calcium has leached away and been replaced by micro-crystalline quartz (agate). So the material is essentially a patterned agate (similar to what happened with petrified wood). And, by-the-by, this material is clearly the inspiration for the manufacture of millefiori glass in antiquity—the object having been to copy in glass the patterns of agatized coral. (This is another topic that interests me immensely.) JDA. All rights reserved by Bead Collector Network and its users |
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